imisssergei

Oh how I miss Sergie.... Crosby does use a two-piece stick with a wood blade made by Sherwood. However, I'm not sure if this is still true or not but at the begining of the season, he had the sticks painted to look like the latest stick RBK wanted to push. This is actually pretty common practice. A friend of mine used to work for a guy who dealt directly with pros. One of his perks happen to be access to ordering sticks from TPS out of their actual pro stock. I'm not sure how he picked his curve, but the ended up order six of Darcy Tucker's I believe. At that time TPS has Tucker listed as using the new XN10 Response, so that's what my friend expected. When they arrived, he opened them up and found 6 of the new Red Response Plus models. He called and found out that quite often when players are testing out new sticks that aren't on the market, or prefer a stick from a different manufacturer than they are signed with, the manufacturer they are signed with will simply paint the sticks to look like whichever model they wish. And in this case, they wanted to really push this stick instead of the XN10. Also, after the lockout Shanny switched from the good ol' aluminum + wood combo to a one-piece composite, made by Warrior if I'm not mistaken.

I just finished watching the game tonight. I forget how it came up, but Ken said something, and then Mikey replied something like 'when are $1 dog nights coming back to the Joe?' That made me wonder. With all the 'attendance problems' the Wings are having, why aren't there more giveaways? I mean, they usually do one or two things every season, but nothing too exciting. The Yzerman banner, and possibly this ring they are about to giveaway are really the only things I can think of in recent history that I'd want. Beyond that, I couldn't think of any team that was having attendance problems that wasn't doing a lot to get fans in the building. Check out the Florida Panther and Tampa Bay Lightning websites to see ticket prices and giveways, then look at Toronto and Detroit's sites. See the stark differences? I'm not saying people in Detroit aren't going to games because there are no freebies. Rather, I don't think that management is one bit concerned with the dip in attendance. But why? That's something I don't understand. It's simple sales, Salesmenship 101. When times are tough, you have to take care of the customers you have. Remind them what it is that made them decide to spend their money with you in the first place. You don't survive in business with one time customers, it's your repeat customers that really make you successful. So why aren't the Wings trying to get their share of the pie back? If nothing else offer some ticket deals; buy one get x% off the second, and make it worthwhile nothing shallow like 10% feels. Maybe take it a step further. Save 20% on the second ticket, 30% off the third, ect. In St. Louis, not only do they have a free food and beverage night, but the owner and his family serve. I understand that maybe you don't want to give everything away for free. So how about a smart giveaway? Offer a free hot dog or pretzel with every ticket, maybe even two. Why? So people will buy a drink. Anything would be nice. But it feels to me as if, being a fan, I'm getting spit on by the management. I usually go to 10 or so games a year. But with things getting tighter every single day, I have to really look at every dollar I spend. I need to get the most out of every penny. So I'm going to skip a few games this year, and do something else. I'll still watch, just wonder why the Wings are doing more to get people in the building. Maybe the cap is to blame. Afterall, the Wings used to spend $70+ million on payroll. Now they aren't much over $50. So I guess that means they can afford to loose a few ticket sales.

You are missing the boat here. It's isn't about feeling any sense of 'entitlement' or going to games just because they are giving something away. It isn't about getting people who can't afford to go, to spend the money and go. What's really the wrong line of thinking is that non-hockey fans won't go. I'm sure all the people on the forums who are new fans can attest that not everyone has been a fan their entire life. In any business you are always looking for ways to get more people as clients. Your standpoint couldn't be further from the truth, or much more negative. Regardless, what I'm talking about is giving away something to make people who are sitting on the fence, make the decision to go. People who have gone in the past, but now are looking at ways to get the most bang for their buck. Something to make it more luring to attend. If putting a team on the playing field for a full game was enough to keep fans coming teams like the Panthers, Coyotes, or Hawks wouldn't have had the attendance woes that they have recently experienced.

A lot of you are missing to point. Yes the economy sucks, big time. No one is arguing that. No one is trying to say people are cutting back. The point is the Red Wings aren't doing anything to make games more desireable to attend. The tickets deals the offer just plain suck. The giveaways are less than exciting. And I could feed a family of 9 with what I pay for 2 beers and 2 dogs at the Joe. And for the record, Michigan is a football state. Look how long it's taken for fans to finally stop going to see the Lions. And still U of M and MSU draw big numbers every weekend. Basketball state? Not a chance.

I was watching "Classic Series" on the NHL Network earlier. Detroit vs Colorado was on. They showed some highlights, so I threw in the DVD that has the March 26th game. Just a few things I noticed that I had forgotten about... 1. It's Mike Vernon's 300th win 2. It's Mike Knuble's first NHL game What a way to remember that milestone in both players careers.

That's just plain wrong. The Lions last couple home games have been blacked out due to lack of ticket sales. Thanksgiving was almost blacked out too. They are projecting the rest of the home games to be blacked out as well. The Pistons are also seeing a lull in attendance, and I'd like to see the numbers on the Tigers. Yeah teh economy sucks. I'm just saying, everyone knows times are tough. When times are tough, you have to give your customers a break if you want to keep them.

I couldn't say for sure if lower bowl are all season tickets, but you can get lower bowl tickets you just have to pony up. I paid $80 each for the highest lower bowl seats against Tampa Bay last year.

$96 per person for a crappy seat, a 2oz soda, and a hot dog or slice of pizza? That's no deal. You can buy an individual ticket in a similar location, a large soda and 2 hot dogs or sodas, and not spend that. It's no deal. And like I said before, give something away that people want! Here is a example of a ticket deal. The Florida Panthers will give you a free ticket to a home game if you have never been to a game before. FREE.

Given the choice of two between Hossa, Franzen, and Hank... I choose Hossa and Franzen. Before you jump down my throat, let me explain. It's a simple numbers game, and no salary isn't the number I'm looking at. What it boils down to really is a choice between Hossa and Hank. They are about the same age, very comparable defensively and offensively, and both work really well with Datsyuk. So why Hossa? It's really simple. The number I'm looking at is games played. Hossa doesn't have the health issues that Hank does. Taking that a step further, the health issues that Hank has that I'm not concerned with is that with his back. A back is not something that you just play through, it doesn't just go away, and it can cripple a player. Look no further than Bert for an example. Hossa will give you more games, and most likely, a longer career. He is the better investment, assuming Hank and Hossa command similar salaries (which is very likely). It's such a cliche' but it's so true - this is a business. More often than not, you have to listen to your head, and ignore your heart. It's almost never what have you done for me, and it's always what have you done for me lately. All things aside, Hank and Hossa are both elite players. Hossa just doesn't have the foreseeable injury woes than Hank does. Plain. And. Simple.

There is a committee, and they vote. Basically, a person has to get nominated, and then receive something like 76% of votes to get in. I think only 4 players can get in each year, and there is a time period that they have to wait after retirement before they are eligible.

In order of apearence on the slideshow.... Atlanta - Makes me want to puke. It's such a plain jersey. Awful coloring. I love the dark jersey they had when they first came into the league. Boston - I like the general design, but all they really did was swap out the chest and shoulder logos. And don't they have like 7 different jersey's already? Buffalo - Does this even count? Old logo on the new jersey, clever . Carolina - I like this jersey for a few reasons. I like that they went with a different color scheme, the black hurricane logo on the shoulder, and something else I'm a big fan of - different equipment colors. The latter may sound stupid, but I've just always felt that if it's an alternate jersey, the equipment should also look different. Chicago - Is that Eric Daze? Dallas - Did someone get really high Sunday night and forget about a project due Monday morning? 'Oh s***! Maybe if I change our jersey from black to white, no one will notice!' Edmonton - I really love how they meshed the old with the new here. And again with the different equipment. L.A. - Is that the new practice threads? Nice idea, just too plain. Bring back the purple and golds!! NYI - Looks more like someone screwed up an order than an alternate. Ottawa - It might be somewhat plain, but I like it for two reasons. 1. It's significantly different than anything they've had and 2. They didn't try to create a cheesy logo, they went with the K.I.S.S. Philly - Same as Edmonton, love the old and new together. Phoenix - My only beef is they kept the equipment. It just looks weird with dark jersey and socks. Pittsburgh - It's really more of a throwback, but I like how different it is from the norm. San Jose - Looks very similar to the blacks they used to wear. Not impressed. St. Louis - Someone wants to be the Pittsburgh of the West... Tampa - Love how different it is from the norm, but just wish they would have went with blue shorts and helmets too. Toronto - I don't care what jersey it is. I love Toronto's jerseys. So my opinion doesn't count here. Vancouver - Unimpressed. I think the old school red, yellow and black V would have been better.

As of right now, no he doesn't get it. The problem with Osgood isn't that his stats aren't good enough to get in, it's that he doesn't get the respect necessary to get it. In order for Osgood to get into the HHOF he will need to end his career with 400+ wins, 75+ playoff wins (btw sitting at 59 playoff wins, Ozzie would hit 75 with just 16 more ), a few more shutouts wouldn't hurt, and his last season needs to be a really solid one. IMHO, Osgood, based on stats alone, should be a no-brainer. It's too bad there is any room for debate with this question at all.

There has to be something more to this. The Ducks a month or so ago were talking mulit-year extension for Burke. I wouldn't be surprised if he resigned in order to start official talks with Toronto. Everyone and their brother knows the Fletcher wants Burke for the job, and Burke wants the job...

Seriously? Who really effin cares? It will still be team Canada. The only reason I find this somewhat interesting is that hockey is different than most Olympic sports in that the jersey a hockey player wears is more 'logo friendly' than any other uniform. So, I'm interested in seeing what they will wear.

Ok, so let me ask. What is your opinion of Bobby?

Damn, that's harsh! Ricky D has only finished one season with a Sv% below .900. That was his rookie year, where all he did was turn in a .894 Sv%. It's funny how people say that about Ricky. I think it's because he was the reason Luongo got traded (and that has to be one of the worst deal ever, the Isles lost Luongo and Jokien, and got Parrish and Kvasha in return.) If you look at the stats, you'll see that Ricky and Bobby are pretty close in numbers. Career stats.... Bobby - .919 Sv%, and a 2.59 GAA Ricky - .905Sv%, and a 2.68 GAA Pretty. Damn. Close.

Not taking a pot-shot at the OP, that article sounds like a load of crap from a writer just bs'ing his way through a uneventful deadline. Seriously, if the "Lidstrom Cap" is $7.45, does it really matter if Hank takes a few years at a lower salary and the latter at an extremely high amount? Players and their agents have two basic things in mind when it comes to contract finances. 1. Total Amount. 2. Number of years. They don't care so much how it breaks downs. What they are after is getting the closest to each as possible. Example. Hank wants 8 year deal, at $60-$80 million. His agent negotiates a deal, 7 years at $70 million. It would seem to me that most contracts in the NHL are heavy on the latter years, that's usually how it works out. So what would Hank really care if two years in a row he made $5 million, in order to jump up to $12 million for the next 5? He gets his money. It's an outrageous amount of money anyhow, it isn't like it will really have much of an effect on his finances. I mean, you get to a certain point and it's literally just more money sitting there in the bank.

I don't think three categories is the best nor the easiest way to go. 3 categories only makes sense for aesthetics, your list is nicely rounded in numbers, so it looks good. Here's why I disagree with the format. If you are creating categories to slot goaltenders, you have to break it up further that 'good, better, best' simply because not all tenders can be placed in the same category. There has to be more distinction between guys like Brodeur and Loungo vs Turco and Backstrom. There is no way you can make a legit argument for those four goaltenders to be placed in the same category. At the same time, Osgood is not as good as Turco, so that creates the same sort of mismatch in the second category. As for Turco and Backstrom vs Leclaire and Bryz, are you serious? What have any of those goaltenders done to prove they are great? I will concede that Backstrom and Turco have been to the playoffs while neither Bryz nor Leclaire have taken their team that far, but come on. If you throw any one of those four guys in net for Minnesota or Dallas, he is going to look pretty damn good. Not taking anything away from the group of guys, but there is no doubt that playing for Columbus or Phoenix would do more damage to your stats and playoff hopes than playing for Dallas or Minnesota. Truthfully, I'd say out of thoes 4, Bryz is the best.

Good idea, poor exeicution. You need more categories, say something like Elite, Better than Average, Average, and Below Average, at a minimum. 3 categories just isn't enough. There is no way Turco and Backstrom should be in the same category as Marty B and Bobby Lou. On the same token, there is no way that Turco and Backstrom deserve to be ranked higher than Leclaire and Bryz. Make more categories, and there is no way each category will have the same amount of tenders in it.

While I can't find any proof, I think you are wrong on all accounts here. Cheli isn't listed on IR on TSN, so if he truely isn't on IR, than he is taking a roster spot. This would mean his salary would also count against the cap. If in fact Cheli is on the IR and TSN is wrong, he wouldn't be taking up short-term roster nor cap space. However, he would need to be reactivated at some point in the season. When that time would come, Detroit would be faced with the same decision because Cheli can't be sent down unless he agrees to do so.

Jonesy: Put Your Head Down And Skate Great read.

I was just wondering if anyone knew what song is in the new STP ad that was played a few times during last nights game. Thanks......

There were a lot of calls, both ways that were crap. For instance, Lilja getting his stick knocked out of his hand. Technically that was the right call, but Lilja needs to hold his stik tighter. There is no way that little swing should have knocked his stick out of his hands. Does the league do business on Sundays? It would make sense if they didn't. I mean, he was just put on waivers last night right? So most teams played last night, maybe put in a claim last night, but won't get looked at until Monday.

Hah, I guess I should have clarified a little more. Not STP the band, STP the auto part company. I got a lot of STP results for the band on youtube. It's a newer commercial, I'm not sure how new, I don't really watch TV except for hockey. But it's for their new oil or some sort of additive or something. The commercial starts off with a sweet guitar solo.

Noon Monday, or at least that is what they said last night on HNIC. I'm surprised that Holland couldn't make a deal. I mean, there has to be a team ::cough toronto cough:: that is behind Tampa in the waiver claim line that is interested in Quincey. I mean, look at how bad Tampa's d corp is. You could make a legit argument that Quincey would be on the second pairing. It just puzzles me. I'm not second guessing Holland, I'm sure he tried to make a deal, but something is better than nothing right? I guess if we all knew the ins and outs of how these things really work, it might make more sense to us. Butfor now, even a 7th round pick sounds good. I mean, isn't that where the Wings get all the future stars anyhow?